Thanksgiving and Birthdays Past and Present

For the past several years (since 2007), I have gone somewhere for my birthday.  This usually ended up being a trip somewhere outside of the town where I was currently living!  This was partly because the amazing thing about Japan is that my birthday just happens to be a national holiday!  I was able to take extended weekend trips to various locations for my birthday!

In 2006, I celebrated Thanksgiving and my birthday in my apartment in Kakamigahara, Japan.  Over the next five years I continued to celebrate Thanksgiving in Japan, and it seemed to get better each year!  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and Thanksgiving (for those from the United States) is always the fourth Thursday in the month of November, however my birthday does not always fall on Thanksgiving.  I love the food, the company, the conversations, and probably most importantly... I love that I was born on this awesome holiday!  Since that first Thanksgiving, I have had four birthdays on Thanksgiving, with 2006 being the most recent!  The next one should be in 2017, but I might be off because of leap year.

Since that 2006 Thanksgiving/Birthday combo, I have traveled around to experience something new for my birthday...  In 2007, I spent it in Hiroshima, Japan.  In 2008, I spent it in Seoul, South Korea.  In 2009, I spent it in Taipei, Taiwan.  In 2010, I spent it in Bali, Indonesia.  In 2011, I spent it in Vietnam.  Last year I moved back to the States and I was able to spend my birthday in Niceville, Florida, with my sister and her family.  It was great fun, we had cupcakes and even went to the beach!

This year I am back at school, and I do not have the luxury to take time off for my birthday, so this year I spent my birthday in Ogden, Utah.  However it was celebrated on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday!  On Friday, my roommates and I had brownies, cupcakes, and ice cream cake.  On Saturday I went out to see the Mount Ogden Junior High School performance of "Guys and Dolls," I enjoyed the show!  And on Sunday, I had dinner with some wonder people from my LDS Ward!  Over all, it was a pretty good weekend, the only bad thing is that I didn't get much homework done.

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

An evening "Of Myth and Mud"

Last night I went with a friend to see a Weber State University original play in the Eccles Theater on campus.  The play was titled, Of Myth and Mud.  There was also a short narrative called Currency of Fire, which was performed just before Of Myth and Mud.

The play, Of Myth and Mud, was a modern take on Pandora's Box and many mythical creatures.  The female characters consisted of Pandora, a mermaid, a unicorn, a dragon, a shapeshifter, a selkie, a phoenix, Medusa, and a Sphinx.  Pandora woke up to discover she was no longer mud, she discovers a box and opens it.  After this she watches the encounters of the other female characters throughout the play.  By the end she is devastated, heart-broken, and filled with despair.  She is saved by Hope, which was the only thing that stayed in the box.

I enjoyed both plays!  I think my favorite character was Pandora, however I think all the characters were well written and performed.

Here is a list to the bios.  

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

History Book Sale, Geography Lecture, and Geo Caching, Oh My!

Yesterday was a hectic day!  Actually this week has been hectic!

This week there has been "celebrations" because the Social and Behavioral Sciences Building turned 40!  So there was birthday cake on Tuesday, a Sesquicentennial speaker on Wednesday, with the culmination on Friday!

Let me explain about Friday.  I had volunteered to help setup and man the book sale for the History Department from 8:30 until 10:30, when I had to hurry to my history class.  After my class I had to hurry over the the Theater for the visiting Geography Lecturer at 11:30, I welcomed the crowd and then got the ball rolling for the Q&A portion after the lecture.  One good thing is that I was able to accompany the guest lecturer and several professors to lunch.  As soon as that was over I had to head back to the History Department book sale and help move it inside and organize the room from 14:30 until 15:45 for the open house that evening.  I had about 45 minutes to work on a history paper before I needed to be setting up for the Geo Caching Event hosted by the Geography Club at 16:30.  The Open House lasted from 17:00 until 19:00 which was then followed by a reception that ended at 20:30.  By the time I got home, I was ready for bed.  I didn't care that it was before 21:30, I was beat!

That was just Friday!  Earlier in the week I was busy, but not as busy as I was on Friday!  I'm glad the week is over, but now that means I have a test and a paper due on Monday and I should have two books finished by Thursday with two others finished by the next Tuesday... I have not even started on the books!


~Adventures in Anything and Everything

Guy Fawkes burns away my troubles!

So I celebrated a little early Guy Fawkes Day!  It is traditional celebrated on November 5th, but that falls on a Tuesday this year making it a little difficult to celebrate during the week.

What is the hype of Guy Fawkes Day you might wonder... it started with a plot to blow up the House of Parliament on November 5, 1605.  The plot was thwarted and Guy Fawkes was tortured to give up the names of the others who were involved.  There is a poem about the Gunpowder Plot, I found this version of the English Folk Verse (c.1870) at a poem of the week website.

           

 The Fifth of November

    Remember, remember!
    The fifth of November,
    The Gunpowder treason and plot;
    I know of no reason
    Why the Gunpowder treason
    Should ever be forgot!
    Guy Fawkes and his companions
    Did the scheme contrive,
    To blow the King and Parliament
    All up alive.
    Threescore barrels, laid below,
    To prove old England's overthrow.
    But, by God's providence, him they catch,
    With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
    A stick and a stake
    For King James's sake!
    If you won't give me one,
    I'll take two,
    The better for me,
    And the worse for you.
    A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
    A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
    A pint of beer to wash it down,
    And a jolly good fire to burn him.
    Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
    Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
    Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

Today people burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes (or the Pope) and anyone else that is deemed to be an enemy of the people that year.  This is a British holiday, but I think it should be celebrated in the United States.  It is a chance to sit around a bonfire eating hot foods and talking with friends!  What a great way to spend an evening!

 Our Guy Fawkes

 Choosing who your personal enemy was a little difficult

 On the Pryor

 Jen and Guy

Count Down...

 Ready... 

 Set...

 Fire!

 Here we go!

Burning away my troubles!

A nice blaze for the effigy!

 Some of the group

 Some are hidden behind the bonfire

 Others are now hidden

Purge away your hate and discontent through the burning of an effigy!

I enjoyed the evening and I even think this might have to become a new yearly tradition for me!

~Adventures in Anything & Everything

Candy, Clowns, and Fun!

I should be reading Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose, so that I can write a 4-6 page paper on it before Tuesday.  However I have decided that I need a break!

Yesterday was Halloween, and I dressed up in a 1940s style navy colored dress with pearls and a black hand bag.  One of my professors said it felt like he was in the presence of Elinor Roosevelt, I took that as a compliment!

In the evening I spent time with my brother and his family.

 
My niece was so cute dressed up as a clown!  I went Trick or Treating with them and had a lot of fun!

The end of the night...

~Adventures in Anything & Everything